Notes on Dyeing, Part 5

The second kilo of Blue is steaming away happily on my stove, and the first is nearly completely dry and should be all skeined up by Tuesday.  I've said it before and I'll say it again: each time I dye yarn, I get a little bit better at it. Here are the things I've learned this time:

1. When I'm all alone in my garage, my furnace is the scariest thing ever.  Remember in Home Alone, where little Kevin is terrified of going into the basement because of the monstrously terrifying furnace down there? I sympathize. Mine is a much more modern furnace, but it still roars like the bejeezus when it comes on, and therefor scared the crap out of me about 4 times.

2. Cough medicine + empty stomach + long hours of dyeing = no fun at all. I mentioned before that I'm getting over a cold, and was still all hopped up on Dayquil while dyeing the first kilo.  I don't really feel hungry when I'm sick, so I guess I hadn't eaten enough that day because I started to get super dizzy and nauseous.  Miraculously I managed not to cough, sneeze, or vomit on any of the yarn. You're welcome.

3. There is a new love in my life, and his name is navy blue.  I am totally in love with the dark blue used in this month's colorway.  Some blues get so dark you can't tell what they are, but this maintained its blueness very well even in the darkest areas.  It also fades beautifully into this lovely twilight lavender color, which made for some really cool transitions into the strawberry pink.  I'm considering dyeing a few balls of worsted yarn with this dye and making a blanket or something.

4. Some of these colors change dramatically when they hit the yarn.  That same blue above looks positively purple when it first touches the yarn; similarly, the berry pink starts off with a strong orange undertone.  But both of these colors change significantly after a few moments. I don't know if it's a reaction with the protein fibers, or maybe with the acid agent, but it's really cool to watch.  It's also why you ALWAYS DO SWATCHES. Because the color of the powder doesn't equal the color of the dye, which doesn't equal the color on the yarn, which doesn't always equal the FINISHED color on the yarn.

5. The more I like a color, the more of it winds up all over me.  My nails have navy blue dye under them, my forearms are stained blue, and there's even some in my hair. I have no idea how any of this happened, but I'm okay with it.

I'll be updating the gallery post on Monday with pictures of Kir de Reddit (which all US customers have received by now), and then stay tuned for preview pics of Blue!